Thursday morning news: October 3, 2024

NATS - Tehran demonstrators

Israel » Chants of Death to Israel and Death to America coming from Iran's capital. Demonstrators gathered in Tehran to call for revenge for the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

The protest came one day after Iran launched nearly 200 missiles at Israel. Most of those were shot down by Israel's Iron Dome defense system...with help from U.S. interceptors.

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield had a stark warning for Iran at a meeting of the UN Security Council yesterday:

THOMAS-GREENFIELD: Let me be clear. The Iranian regime will be held responsible for its actions, and we strongly warn against Iran or its proxies taking actions against the United States or further actions against Israel.

President Biden said he spoke with the leaders of G-7 countries Wednesday and all of them condemned Iran's attack and favored additional sanctions against Iran.

But when asked if they would support an attack by Israel on Iran's nuclear sites…

BIDEN: The answer is no. And I think there's been. We'll be discussing with the Israelis what they're going to do, but all seven of us agree that they have a right to respond.

Meanwhile, Israel continues its fight against the terror group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Israel's military says seven Israeli soldiers were killed in two separate incidents as Israel begins limited ground incursions into Lebanon to target Hezbollah infrastructure.

NYC stepping up security as Oct 7 approaches » New York City is stepping up security as Jewish New Yorkers observe Rosh Hashanah and the anniversary of the October 7th terror attacks against Israel draws near.

Mayor Eric Adams:

ADAMS: New Yorkers can expect an increased police presence at key locations and houses of worship, and you will notice more of them in uniform. We are deploying additional cameras to sensitive locations.

Adams said that will complement the 80,000 surveillance cameras that the NYPD already has positioned around the city.

New York City has the highest concentration of Jewish residents in the U.S. More than a million Jewish Americans live in or around the city.

Ukraine withdraw » Russian forces have seized control of key, strategically important city in eastern Ukraine. WORLD’s Paul Butler reports.

PAUL BUTLER: The hilltop city of Vuhledar had been a stronghold for Ukraine throughout the war. Its location and elevation gave Ukrainian troops a tactically important high-ground position.

VOLOSHYN: (Speaking in Ukrainian)

But a military spokesman says senior commanders in Kyiv ordered a strategic retreat from the city … to avoid heavy losses as Moscow’s forces moved in.

Russia now controls large portions of the Donetsk province where the city is located. Vladimir Putin has made control of the region a top priority.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has continued to appeal to Washington … to allow Kyiv to use US-provided missiles to strike deeper into Russia.

For WORLD, I’m Paul Butler.

Helene / Biden » President Biden witnessed the destruction in North Carolina firsthand on Wednesday. He called Hurricane Helene and its remnants a storm of “historic proportions.”

BIDEN: The damage is still being assessed, but many people are still unaccounted for. So I'm here to say the United States, the nation has your back. We're not leaving your back on your feet completely.

The president heard there in Raleigh, where he met with first responders, many of whom have been searching for residents still unaccounted for since the storm ripped through the region last week.

Western North Carolina was especially hard hit by catastrophic flooding.

And Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee says the eastern part of his state has also been devastated.

LEE:  The damage, the loss of life. There are people still missing. There's a great deal of effort to to reunify those who are unaccounted for.

President Biden will visit storm damaged parts of Florida and Georgia today.

DOJ vs GA prisons » The Department of Justice says living conditions in Georgia’s prisons are so poor that they constitute cruel and unusual punishment … and violate the constitutional rights of prisoners.

The DOJ released a report this week detailing its assertions.

DOJ assistant attorney general Kristen Clarke:

CLARKE: Gangs control multiple aspects of day-to-day life in the prisons we investigated, including access to phones, showers, food and bed assignments. We received credible allegations of beatings, coerced sex acts and extortion by gangs. We found that gangs exert pressure on staff, and that staff have themselves trafficked contraband.

Georgia’s prison department told WORLD that its prisons exceed constitutional requirements, and the issues described in DOJ’s report are challenges that all prisons face.

Women’s volleyball teams forfeit games vs. San Jose State » Division 1 Women’s volleyball teams are choosing to forfeit games against San Jose State University after it allowed a male athlete on its roster. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin reports.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: The University of Wyoming said it would not play a scheduled women’s volleyball game against San José State on Saturday.

San Jose’s Blaire Fleming is a male athlete who identifies as a woman. And with Fleming’s powerful 6-foot-1 presence on the court … the team is undefeated this season.

San José State told WORLD that its roster complied with NCAA rules. The NCAA’s Board of Governors in 2022 adopted a policy framework that limits the testosterone levels of women’s sports athletes, but does not account for the many advantages male athletes have over women aside from hormone levels.

The University of Wyoming was reportedly the third school to forfeit women’s games against San José State.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: debunking a pro-abortion argument.

Plus, preparing for winter in Ukraine.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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